Armpits4August Toolkit

Armpits4August Toolkit

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Contents
Introduction

About Armpits4August

About PCOS
Your Armpits4August Campaign

What you need

Shout it loud!

Ready, Steady... Grow!

Let your hair down

The Aftermath
The Big Do's and Don'ts
Quick Action
Resources

Sponsorship Sheet

Sign Up Sheet

Press Release

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Introduction
* About Armpits4August
Armpits4August is a campaign being launched this year with the aim of raising
awareness about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) whilst revolutionising the
way women (and men) view naturally occurring body hair. Supporters of
Armpits4August are being asked to grow their armpit hair (or any other body hair of
their choice) to raise awareness about PCOS. The Armpits4August team hope to
inform the UK public about PCOS whilst diminishing the myth that not shaving body
hair is unhygienic and unfeminine. We hope to attract women from all walks of life,
with differences experiences and views concerning PCOS and body hair. Above all,
we hope to provide a stimulus for discussion so that women can share and explore
their relationship to their body hair an consider the reasons for and against removing
it. We are keenly aware that it is not equally easy for all women to grow their body
hair, and also want to hear the voices of women that feel unable to participate.
* About PCOS
PCOS affects millions of women in the UK, some reports say that up to 1 in 6 women
are affected and is diagnosed when women have two of the following features:
* Cysts develop on the ovaries
* Ovulation (the release of eggs from the ovaries) ceases
* A higher level of, or more active, male hormones
This can lead to the following symptoms:
* Problems with infertility
* Irregular menstruation
* Mood-swings
* Excessive body hair
* Acne
* Weight-gain
* Hair loss of hair on head
(Information collected from NHS Online on 17/06/2012 http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Polycystic-
ovarian-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx)

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Your Armpits4August Campaign
* What you will need...
There are many ways in which you can have your own Armpits4August campaign!
1. Be sponsored to grow your armpit hair throughout August - ask your friends
and family to sponsor you to grow your armpit (or any other body hair)
throughout August to support those with PCOS.
2. Throw a Pit Pride Party - throw a party to celebrate natural hair growth and to
raise money and show solidarity with those affected by PCOS. Your Pit Pride
Party can be in any form, from a traditional tea party, a pamper party to a
good old fashioned shin-dig! The choice is yours, please let us know what you
are planning, and please send in photos to add to our website.
3. Decide how you are going to raise money: you can create a profile on
JustGiving, where your sponsor money can be pledged online and is
transferred directly to Verity or, alternatively, you can simply ask people to fill
in a sponsorship form, collect the money in person, and send a cheque to
Verity. A guide to setting up your JustGiving profile and a sponsorship
template form are available to download from our website:
www.armpitsforaugust.com/resources/
* Shout it loud!
Use social media to tell your friends and family about your Armpits4August
campaign, whether you are growing your armpit hair to raise money, or are planning
a Pit Pride Party.
Facebook
If you are growing your armpit hair, update your friends with how it is going, how it
makes you feel and how others are reacting around you. You can even post the link
to your JustGiving page for quick and easy sponsorship from your supporters.
Facebook is a great tool for organising events, so if you are planning your own Pit
Pride Party it is a great first step to get the message out there. Please tell us about
your Pit Pride Party, we would love to hear from you!
Also ask your friends to like our page: facebook.com/armpits4august

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Twitter
Use Tweets to reach out to your followers, tell them about Armpits4August, PCOS
and what they can do to help. Don't forget to use hashtags that could help you reach
out to people other than your followers, our own is #pitpride but there are many out
there such as #PCOS and #Armpit.
Again, ask your friends to follow us @Armpits4August
YouTube
Why not film your progress throughout August to create an Armpits4August video
diary? If you send us your vlog we will happily upload it to our youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Armpits4August
Photos
Send us pics of your progress via flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/armpits4august/
Blog
Please blog about your experiences during the Armpits4August campaign, and send
us the link! We would love to read about your experience of the campaign (good or
bad) and can even link to your blog on our website if you would like us to.
* Ready, Steady...Grow!
Once you have your resources together and your social media tools at the ready,
you are now ready to start your campaign. Keep everyone up to date on how much
money you have raised, how you feel about growing your body hair and tell them
facts about PCOS to help raise awareness.
What you need to know:
*
Itchiness: If growing your armpit hair for the first time you may experience
some itchiness, this should only last for the first week.
*
Smell: Every experience is different, and you may find that armpit hair
decreases body odour in that region, but if it doesn't try giving your newly
grown hair a shampoo! Avoid stick deodorants, as these can clog the hair.
*
Uneven growth: Every armpit will react differently, it is important to love them
how they are!
For more information, including advice on dying your armpit hair, please visit our Tips
and how-to's page on our website.

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* Let your hair down
There are lots of ways to celebrate your newly found pit pride and your solidarity with
those affected by PCOS. Why not include your friends in your Armpits4August
campaign by throwing a fundraising event at the end! Here are just a few ideas for a
Pit Pride Party:
Traditional tea party, cocktail party, vegan feast, pit pride pamper party, art and
photography exhibit....
* The Aftermath
Please send out a thank you to those who have supported you, whether its been
sponsoring you, helping you spread the word about Armpits4August and PCOS or
attending your Pit Pride Party.
Whether you decide to keep your armpit hair or not, we want to hear from you.
Please let us know how you found Armpits4August, is there anything you would have
liked to know, or needed, get in touch!
The Big Do's and Don'ts
*
Please make sure that the happiness and safety of yourself and those around
you is the first thing you consider when deciding to throw a Pit Pride
celebration.
*
Show support and solidarity for all of those involved in the Armpits4August
campaign. We hope to create a safe space for discussion and will not tolerate
any rudeness or hateful speech.
*
Any behaviour or action that is against the law will not be endorsed by the
Armpits4August team.
NB. Any event you hold as an Armpits4August supporter is a third party event. A third party event is
defined as any activity that will benefit but is not sponsored or insured by Armpits4August. All third
party event hosts are responsible for logistics, funding and legal liability requirements, and agree to
hold harmless Armpits4August from any claim or lawsuit arising from participation in the event.

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Quick Actions
1. Like us on Facebook
2. Follow us and Tweet us on Twitter
3. Spread the word by posting a link to our website on your Facebook and at the
bottom of your emails
4. Contact your local press about the Armpits4August campaign
5. Contact your local MP to ask what they are doing to support those affected by
PCOS (let us know what they say!)

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